The Rt Revd Graham Usher is the Bishop of Norwich.
He is the Church of England’s lead bishop for the environment and lead bishop for biodiversity in the Anglican Communion. He became the 72nd Bishop of Norwich in 2019 and a member of the House of Lords, as a Lord Spiritual, in 2023.
As part of his calling to spread the good news of Jesus Christ, Bishop Graham works with politicians, scientists and faith leaders locally, nationally and internationally towards a sustainable future for the world, tackling climate change and biodiversity loss and highlighting the connection between Christian mission and ministry and caring for God’s creation.
He supports and celebrates the role of parish churches in creating and maintaining flourishing rural communities across his diocese and regularly speaks in the House of Lords on environmental, countryside, farming and biodiversity issues, and the armed forces and defence, and helps scrutinise proposed legislation. In 2026 he was President of the Royal Norfolk Show, the country’s largest two-day agricultural show.
He has helped shape the Church of England’s ambitious Net Zero Carbon programme and champions the national Eco Church initiative to cut carbon emissions and boost churchyard biodiversity in parishes across the country. In 2026 he was included on the new ‘edie 100’ list of the 100 most influential sustainability and climate leaders in the UK.
His Majesty King Charles appointed Bishop Graham as Lord High Almoner in 2024 – responsible for the annual Royal Maundy service in which the Monarch gives specially-minted silver coins to selected older people in recognition of their Christian service to their churches and communities.
Bishop Graham is married to Rachel, a GP, and they have two adult children. He is also a keen beekeeper. His bees forage the beautiful Bishop’s House Garden, which he and Rachel regularly open in aid of local charities. He is the patron or president of more than 25 charities, mostly based in the Diocese of Norwich.
Bishop Graham studied ecological science at the University of Edinburgh and then theology at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, before training for ministry at Westcott House, Cambridge. In 2026 he was awarded an honorary doctorate, to recognise his environmental work with the Church of England, by the University of Edinburgh.
His books exploring how people encounter the sacred through the natural world are Places of Enchantment, Meeting God in Landscapes and The Way Under Our Feet: A Spirituality of Walking.
He was ordained as a deacon in 1996, beginning his ministry in Middlesbrough in the Diocese of York, first as curate at St Mary the Virgin, Nunthorpe, and then as Vicar of Holy Trinity, North Ormesby, a parish with severe levels of social need. In 2004 he became Rector of Hexham in the Diocese of Newcastle and was also Area Dean of Hexham between 2006 and 2011.
During this time he chaired the Forestry Commission’s Forestry and Woodlands Committee in the north east, and was a Secretary of State appointee to the Northumberland National Park Authority. Later he was a board member of the Human Tissue Authority.
Part of his childhood was spent in Ghana and in 2007 he was appointed Honorary Canon of St Cyprian’s Cathedral in Kumasi, Ghana.
From 2014-2019 he served as Bishop of Dudley in the Diocese of Worcester.
Bishop Graham is also a Church Commissioner, helping manage the Church of England’s historic assets to fund its ministry, heritage, and clergy support. He is a member of the Anglican Consultative Council and the Council of St George’s House Windsor Castle.